Hey guys, I don't know who's getting Madden 2011, but I can only imagine a lot of you will. Anyway, I'm picking my copy up at the midnight launch, and would love to go head to head with some die hard Hawk fans. I'm going to get it for Xbox 360, my gtag is JNUKE83. Add me if you want to play! I hope I posted this on the right board, if I didn't, I apologize. GO HAWKS!!!!

I don't know if any of you did the "Ultimate Team" mode last year, but it's back and I started my team. If you don't know what it is, they give you a pack of cards (players, coaches, team uni's and stadiums) and that's your team. I got two QB cards, Pat White and... our very own Clip Board Jesus! In the game he is clean shaven and has short hair, very disappointed EA.

dutchcoug wrote:I don't know if any of you did the "Ultimate Team" mode last year, but it's back and I started my team. If you don't know what it is, they give you a pack of cards (players, coaches, team uni's and stadiums) and that's your team. I got two QB cards, Pat White and... our very own Clip Board Jesus! In the game he is clean shaven and has short hair, very disappointed EA.

Its an interesting idea. I personally think it works better in the FIFA series (where they got the idea).

Does it have a fantasy draft? Don't buy Madden every year but I remember it having it in the past, I would love to buy it and get an online franchise going that starts with a full draft instead of just taking the default teams, would be really cool.

If it does and if any of you 360 people are interested let me know (might consider buying it for the worst control in the world on the PS3 if that is my only option but would prefer 360).

warner28 wrote:Does it have a fantasy draft? Don't buy Madden every year but I remember it having it in the past, I would love to buy it and get an online franchise going that starts with a full draft instead of just taking the default teams, would be really cool.

If it does and if any of you 360 people are interested let me know (might consider buying it for the worst control in the world on the PS3 if that is my only option but would prefer 360).

Yep, it has fantasy draft.

I would love to do an online franchise.

I would actually be down for doing 2 online franchise's. One for as-is teams, and one for fantasy draft.

warner28 wrote:Does it have a fantasy draft? Don't buy Madden every year but I remember it having it in the past, I would love to buy it and get an online franchise going that starts with a full draft instead of just taking the default teams, would be really cool.

If it does and if any of you 360 people are interested let me know (might consider buying it for the worst control in the world on the PS3 if that is my only option but would prefer 360).

Yep, it has fantasy draft.

I would love to do an online franchise.

I would actually be down for doing 2 online franchise's. One for as-is teams, and one for fantasy draft.

I would be too but last year we tried an online franchise and it died by week 7. Oh and I call the Hawks if we start one

warner28 wrote:Does it have a fantasy draft? Don't buy Madden every year but I remember it having it in the past, I would love to buy it and get an online franchise going that starts with a full draft instead of just taking the default teams, would be really cool.

If it does and if any of you 360 people are interested let me know (might consider buying it for the worst control in the world on the PS3 if that is my only option but would prefer 360).

Yep, it has fantasy draft.

I would love to do an online franchise.

I would actually be down for doing 2 online franchise's. One for as-is teams, and one for fantasy draft.

I would be too but last year we tried an online franchise and it died by week 7. Oh and I call the Hawks if we start one

Maybe we can actually get some people who will commit to playing this time. That and the fact that EA half-assed it didn't help. It was pretty frustrating doing all that work and then people ditched + there was no cap and stuff...but if we do go again, I'll be the Chargers.

I was reading the review of the game on ign.com and they said that the franchise mode was untouched from last year....which is a little annoying. But Hombre I will play you sometime if you are up for it?

Blitzer88 wrote:I was reading the review of the game on ign.com and they said that the franchise mode was untouched from last year....which is a little annoying. But Hombre I will play you sometime if you are up for it?

Totally, except I traded my 360 for a PS3 last week...I just realized that may be a problem...

Blitzer88 wrote:I was reading the review of the game on ign.com and they said that the franchise mode was untouched from last year....which is a little annoying. But Hombre I will play you sometime if you are up for it?

Totally, except I traded my 360 for a PS3 last week...I just realized that may be a problem...

We have a strong line that easily opens up holes for Forsett and Washington, plus they both have enough speed to turn the corner and pull away.

I have Mike Williams at my #1 WR, Tate at #2, and Housh in the slot. It works pretty damn well. Williams doesn't get open a ton, but if he gets a little space he can bring it in. Housh abuses the nickle CB the majority of the time and Tate is CLUTCH. I have gone to him on 3rd down 3 times already and he made an awesome one handed grab on one of them.

Our D Line is beefy too...there is no running room for the RB....getting decent pressure. Terrill, Bryant and Curry (2) had sacks...

I passed on Madden 2010 after being woefully disappointed in 2009, which I bought, but never played.

As a casual game I have to confess, I'm liking the new Gameflow. I don't always agree with the playcalls but I believe they are customizable which helps. No more runs on 3rd and 8 from the 12 yard line. Only complaint is that, while it does get the game moving, I'll usually end up with only 200-250 yards per game of offense. Maybe bringing the "run off" time down to 10 seconds may help here. I could always go back to the standard playbook.

I love the quick-select so you don't have to cycle through your entire defense like an idiot. Sometimes, though, by the time you realize who's got what assignment it's too late to switch control.

So far I found the offense/defense is pretty balanced. Though I put an absolute whooping on Kansas City in only my second game. Cassel threw 4 pics, 2 of which I ran back for TDs (speaking of which, both times the commentary noted "the offense turned the INT into six points" when the offense didn't take the field so the commentary is still a bit buggy). Run/Pass seems pretty balanced though it felt strange watching Julius Jones being as effective as he was (Jones is starting though Washington is a good 4 points higher than him overall IIRC). One issue so far is punt returns. Forsett has, thus far, had no chance. He had two steps before contact.

One thing I like is FINALLY I've been able to put a hit on the kick returner with the gunner. Whether it was any Madden or NCAA, I was NEVER able to get a piece with the gunner.

I'm a bit disappointed in the game modes. The whole "Personal Trainer" was a laughably poor effort in 2009, I was STUNNED to see it was still in the game. Espesially after how many fun modes the NCAA series has with them. I also haven't seen any "Custom Play" options which was always fun.

Oh yeah...and Golden Tate looks awfully...ermmm...WHITE from what I saw.

Hate gameflow...then again I am a hardcore madden player. I know the ins and outs of just about every playbook.

Anyway, couple things I have noticed...

Deon Butler is LETHAL. Usually he is in as the 4th WR in the slot...and my god. He burns him every time. Since its the preseason he goes to the #1 in the second half and doesn't miss a beat. I honestly suggest you try the I-Form WR End around with butler (maybe set it up once with the HB dive). He can take those the distance.

Try moving Mebane to DE on 3rd and short (obvious rushingdowns). End up with the Line of Mebane-Cole-Vickerson-Bryant. As long as Curry and Hawthorne/Hill can catch runs that go to the outside they arent getting anything...

That bring up another question...who is your other OLB? obviously you are running Curry, but is it Hill or Heater on the other side?

Smurf wrote:Hate gameflow...then again I am a hardcore madden player. I know the ins and outs of just about every playbook.

Anyway, couple things I have noticed...

Deon Butler is LETHAL. Usually he is in as the 4th WR in the slot...and my god. He burns him every time. Since its the preseason he goes to the #1 in the second half and doesn't miss a beat. I honestly suggest you try the I-Form WR End around with butler (maybe set it up once with the HB dive). He can take those the distance.

Try moving Mebane to DE on 3rd and short (obvious rushingdowns). End up with the Line of Mebane-Cole-Vickerson-Bryant. As long as Curry and Hawthorne/Hill can catch runs that go to the outside they arent getting anything...

That bring up another question...who is your other OLB? obviously you are running Curry, but is it Hill or Heater on the other side?

I went with Heater with Hill spelling him.

I actually use a 3-4 scheme with that Hawks...allows me to get all the backers on the field. Also Clemons is deadly on passing downs, he can really get around the corner and put pressure on the opposing QB.

Honestly I'm really enjoying the game. I liked Madden 10 to a point, and I think they improved the core gameplay of it, and a Madden vet can enjoy it once they turn off all the new features, like game flow, coordinator audio and subs, etc. It will be better in September when they switch back to the old style of audible and hot route calling.

Before I started my franchise I spent a few minutes adjusting the ratings, IE, Forsett, Hass, & MW. I immediately traded away Hill for Lynch. The running game in general is greatly improved, but at first, the passing game was infuriating. I reduced Hass's THP to 82 and raised his TAM to 84 and he was still overthrowing a ton of passes, and was driving me nuts (I was 2/19 for completions, wtf???). Turns out maybe it was just that specific game, cause he was throwing a lot better after that.

Trufant and Earl Thomas are RAW. Trufant is leading the NFL in INTs by week 4 with 3, and Earl Thomas is in the top 10 with 2. The animation in the game is so improved...I am very happy with that since that was one of my biggest complaints about Madden 10. It seems like there is much more variation to the types of animations run during different situations. I managed to float one to Mike Williams on a corner route in the end zone last night, and he turned around and made a backwards diving catch that looked like the one from Butler @ Sunday's scrimmage. I think I may have yelled a little bit lol...

I still use the 4-3, but on nickel/dime/quarter packages, I sub Curry in at LE, and put someone else like LoJack in at DT2. Gets some pretty good heat. In the base 4-3 there is a man-blitz play that rushes Curry off the edge right next to Bryant with man-to-man and Thomas in mid-deep zone, pretty intense, especially if you sub someone like Ellison or Chancellor in at ROLB to increase coverage ability.

Franchise is more or less the same though. In fact, it is exactly the same, down to the menu interface. But I still play and enjoy it for what it is...For the record I thought Madden 08's franchise mode was really fun. I love that stats are corrected. I typically run 7 min quarters with 15 second accelerated clock, and with the improvements in game I am even seeing better stats live, not just simmed. My LB corps all get around 5+ tackles a game each, so when I look at the season stats, they are comparable with other teams. I hated in Madden 10 finishing week 1 and seeing some scrub on the saints rack up 10-20 tackles a week, and then I would be lucky if someone on my defense had 50 by the end of the season.

I can't believe they didn't fix Whitehurst's hair, what with the publicity he's had. He even got his very own national article specifically relating to Madden, cause he had the largest rise in point differential from 57 to 71, so they obviously spent some time on him, but he's still bald, and clean shaven. Really???

Now that Forsett's running with the starters, I'm confident they'll raise his OVR and Hasselbeck's once the season starts...But it still pisses me off.

I would call gameplay 98% perfect. Switch the audibles back and it will be perfect. Next year I expect them to dig deeper and make franchise mode more extensive, online, as well as offline. There are hardcore gamers like myself that want to be able to set depthcharts for individual formations, special teams, and not having to worry about subbing in Curry in at DE on passing downs. It would be relatively simple to make it happen.

Franchise mode has been untouched since 2003....well let me correct that, they keep reducing features for it, while pumping out USELESS gameplay features that alienates the hardcore users.

I really enjoy every game I play, but anytime I go to a menu or do anything that ISN'T part of the gameplay mechanics my enjoyment of the game decreases.

TravTex wrote:I'm still in the 'Up Yours, EA' boat, and am now thinking I'll stay there for a while. Returning NCAA, not buying Madden. Shall spend my time with NBA 2K? and MLB the Show for now.

Sad, as I'm more a football fan.

I agree, they need competition, these exclusive deals suck. Game quality has dropped dramatically. Still I am addicted to NCAA but would love it if 2K sports could get back in the game, they were always a step behind on NCAA football games but at least it kept EA on their toes.

Smurf wrote:It hadn't even dawned at me to switch to a 3-4...Our line now has the size to pull that off...

What are you doing with Nick Reed? He just riding the bench, cut, or back up at OLB?

Have you made any big roster adjustments (bring anyone in, trade anyone?)

Also, in my 3rd Pre-season game Deion Branch Went down with a Herniated Disk...out 9 weeks. Leroy also went down with 2 separate, short term injuries. He will be ready week one.

I usually put Reed in at DE on 3rd and long downs where you know they are more then likely gona pass the ball. I have made a few trades like trading Hass to the eagles for Kevin Kolb. Then I compiled enough FA's and traded those FA's I signed for a first rd pick.

Yakimaniac wrote:I would love to join an online franchise, but I really dislike the fact that I pay for the game itself and have to pay even more to use all the features.

You shouldn't have to pay to enable the online play if you bought the original copy of the game. Redeem the code on the back of the book and you're good to go.

I was fuming at first though when I thought they were gonna extort me for another $10 to play the game online. I imagine they did this to steal some profits from gamestop and others making gazillions off of trade in and sale of used games.

Now... the game would be amazingly addictive and awesome if the made one change to the new Ultimate Team feature. If you don't about this, it's like an online fantasy/dynasty team where you cards for each player. The cards are like a Magic game, buy a pack and use them to build/improve your team, with some being rare and most common. IF they didn't capitalize on profits, they would have made the currency all earned (or gambled). You use coins to buy more packs of cards, but you basically have to buy the coins with your hard earned dough. This means the game will be dominated by spoiled rotten 15-yr old's who plop $500 into coins to buy cards... and I won't even bother trying to compete with that... very unfortunate...

CHawks4L wrote:Now... the game would be amazingly addictive and awesome if the made one change to the new Ultimate Team feature. If you don't about this, it's like an online fantasy/dynasty team where you cards for each player. The cards are like a Magic game, buy a pack and use them to build/improve your team, with some being rare and most common. IF they didn't capitalize on profits, they would have made the currency all earned (or gambled). You use coins to buy more packs of cards, but you basically have to buy the coins with your hard earned dough. This means the game will be dominated by spoiled rotten 15-yr old's who plop $500 into coins to buy cards... and I won't even bother trying to compete with that... very unfortunate...

I love this feature and totally agree with you. Last year I invested a few bucks to try to make my team better but totally not worth it. I would rather do the best with what I can earn from playing games (which isn't much).

ElDoceHombre wrote:I can't believe they didn't fix Whitehurst's hair, what with the publicity he's had. He even got his very own national article specifically relating to Madden, cause he had the largest rise in point differential from 57 to 71, so they obviously spent some time on him, but he's still bald, and clean shaven. Really???

I thought there was a mix-up between him and Losman. Go back and look at Losman. He looks like Whitehurst. Scruffy Jesus beard and even has hair coming out the back of his helmet. EA needs to correct this for sure.

Curry is running wild against teams Right Tackles. He has recorded 25 sacks this season.

Red Bryant went down with a torn peck, so Lo-Jack got the "start"...which means he only plays when curry isnt rushing the passer.

Anywho, season went well. Has some injuries, but the depth of the squad made it a non issue. Housh and Carlson were key players for me, always converting 3rd downs. Tate and Williams made there plays here and there, but for the most part the offense ran through Forsett, Washington, Housh, Carlson...and Butler.

Into the playoffs, home field advantage. First game is against the Falcons. The Hass to Tate combo carried the offense while Curry and Wilson carried the D.

Forsett and washington were shut down early....only way I could gain yards was through the air.

Conversely I stopped turner and forced them to throw. It was pooring down rain.

This game had a combined 12 turnovers. Hass threw 4 picks, Ryan through 6 (wilson with 3, Jennings with 1, Tatupu with 1, and Vickerson with 1), and the Falcons fumbled twice. Sloppy game.